Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Newest Question: God's Forgiveness

Due to the frantic changes we are experiencing, I do have to apologize for the delay in responses to questions ... but I feel it imperative to reassure you that we are not ending this ministry.  You ask the questions, we will answer them.  I have a few in line but felt this was a good one to kick back off with.

God teaches us to forgive no matter what, right? Well why did he make such a big deal about Eve eating a piece of fruit?

This is a good question ... I like good questions.



I think it is all a matter of perspective.  God created the world and set it at the feet of Adam and Eve ... only He gave them one and only one rule: they were to leave a certain tree alone.   They had all of creation to experience only they had one boundary ... and they were forwarned that there would be consequences for breaking that rule.  Check it out:

Gen 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
He wasn't kidding and was completely fair in His explanation.  As we know, death for humanity began that day and has continued ever since.  But He didn't leave it there.  After Adam and Eve were confronted for their failure to keep to their only single rule ... the only one ... God said something to Satan as well:

Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.
This was not just a promise of retaliation on Satan, but a promise of God's undying love for us because it is in this passage that Jesus is first promised ... that the seed of Adam, Jesus, would bruise (translated crush) his head and that it would come at the cost of Jesus' very life.   Jesus' death would not be His finish, but Satan's defeat would be.  You see, Eve was forgiven .. along with all of humanity but justice had (and still has) to be served.  A few important things to keep in mind: 

1st: This is about justice ... God's justice.  He created this world with order ... cause and effect.  All of science agrees that the functioning of life is not chaos ... but order.  The human eyeball confounds evolutionism bc by the very notion of natural selection, the math involved in 98 million cells operating at random to produce sight is impossible ... yet we see.  Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14 explain the fall of Satan (ie Lucifer, the King of Tyre, the Accuser, the Enemy).  It was because of God's justice that he was not allowed to remain in heaven ... and he has been trying to get back in since.  If he can punch a hole in God's justice, he can return to heaven.  

For a very basic, but fundamental, scientific reason God cannot allow this: any flawless element exposed to a flawed element will both be destroyed.  God's goodness cannot coexist with evil.  There was no war between God and Satan ... Satan was simply cast out.  This war as it seems is more of a trial ... Jesus is our Advocate (1 Jn 2:1) and Satan is our accuser (Rev 12:10).  Death is the only atonement for sin that Satan will accept.  The Bible says that the wages of sin is death (Rom 6).

2nd.  God DID forgive Eve ... and all of humanity ... but He did it in the context of perfect justice.  From the beginning He devised a plan to restore us back to Him in a way that our sin would be dealt with.  Through Jesus death, our penalty was paid ... but that would have left us forever in the grave.  Only God, the creator of life, could Himself defeat it and by defeating death He bought us life.  How is that not forgiveness?  Satan knew for sure that when God came down as Jesus that He would destroy all of humanity when His own creation and chosen people turned against Him ... but He was wrong.  The one thing that Satan cannot understand or plan for is forgiveness.   He never got it ... he doesn't understand it and cannot plan for it.  That is why we are to forgive ... because through forgiveness we totally derail every plan and device he has been working on and in.

3rd.  Forgiveness doesn't mean the lack of consequences.  A person forgiven must still pay for what he or she has done in some way.  Look at our world.  If I get drunk and go to work, my boss may still forgive me but he is bound to fire me because of the parameters he must work in to be a good and just boss.  If he shows me partiality bc of what may happen to me or my family, he is undoing himself and will ultimately lose his job and perhaps go to prison.  It happens all of the time and it always catches up to humanity in some way, shape, or form.  God's forgiveness doesn't void our consequences but He promises to be there for us in them ... to walk us through them, and to strengthen us by them.  Furthurmore, never trust a person who states they are sorry for an action taken yet attempts to avoid consequential action.  That person is not sorry for what was done, they are sorry for being caught ... and that is the nature of human evil.

God didn't make a big deal about Eve (and Adam) eating the fruit.  He was sad to watch them deal with the consequences of their actions.  But through it all He had a plan!  Eve was forgiven ... as we all have been given a chance to find Godly forgiveness.  But it is only through Jesus.  

That's my take on it...great question! 

 

3 comments:

  1. I have not formally studied theology, okay well, I was enrolled in two courses as a requirement.

    However, responding to the question posed, as a parent I would be livid if my child had done the one thing that I've stressed to not partake in. I would eventually forgive her, but her wrong decision would forever be a reminder of consequences which follow bad choices.

    This doesn't mean that she shouldn't be completely forgiven; it also doesn't mean that there won't be a consequence.

    As humans, it seems our nature to want the one thing that we cannot have. When someone is cutting down on sweets, they'll probably crave it that much more. I made a new years resolution to drink only one can of soda per day. I'm embarrassed to say how many cans I am presently consuming. And with those choices I too have faced the consequences.

    Soon, I'll be able to forgive myself for falling into this pit. I'll wake up ready for combat and fight off the can with full force. (after consuming my daily allowance (1 can) of course! :))


    As always, great post!

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  2. Forgot to mention, thanks for not including a math component this time. Numbers make my head spin! :)

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  3. Your welcome (about the math numbers!)!! We all have the proverbial lines in the sand drawn for our children ... I know personally those whose have crossed the "I beg you not to do this" lines ... and grandchildren are born. I have learned by much by watching their response and reaction. If I've learned anything, it is that in those situations life and reality are going to bring enough punishment themselves. I have heard many opinions on what people will do, I like best to review what people DID do ... and review and compare the results.

    I have an idea of what you may be referring to, and it is also my same desire (if we are referring to that which 'brings forth children' as it is expressed to my kids ... but everyone is only ever two steps away from breaking their ankle ...

    Thanks for your comments

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